Tokidoki Bosotto Russia-go de Dereru Tonari no Alya-san
Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian

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Just go read this already. Especially if you are someone like me who love a simple, funny , light hearted story between tightly bonded characters, filled with wholesome moments here and there, and the occasional serious moments that adds so much depth to the story.

I went into reading Roshidere with very low expectations. We've seen this genre for the umpteenth time, where two characters are secretly in love with each other but it goes nowhere for 173 volumes because they want to milk all the profit out of this series (cough cough rent a girlfriend). While that is true for this series, I don't ... think its fair to give Roshidere the same criticism. The story is nothing revolutionary, but I think what makes this so good for me are the characters.

Each character is very well written and have something that they are struggling with themselves. Our main character Alya has arguably the simplest one of them all, with her just struggling to fit in and make friends. But it really gets exponentially more interesting when we find out the struggles of the other characters we are introduced to gradually into the series. I was so intrigued when I finally learn about Masachika's past, Yuki's internal struggle, Ayano's secret wish, Sayaka and Nonoa's childhood and more. Each of them is so well written that everytime I pick up and read Roshidere I go for a few hours, sometimes even late into the night, without stopping. Also, the fact that I even remember the names of all the characters in this series just proves how invested I am in this story.

And compared to some other series in this genre, the characters actually have character development. We can actually see their growth throughout the volumes. This is something that is rare to see because, as mentioned above, some series just go for so long without any character development and things get really stale. Not the case with Roshidere!

So if you are even slightly interested in this series, I whole-heartedly recommend it. It's really worth a read.

TL:DR Roshidere is at its core a simple story of the daily lives of some high school students. But it's filled with complex characters and wholesome moments, coupled with actual character development that keeps the story super interesting from start to end. 10/10 would recommend!!

This novel is not bad per say, if I was unfamiliar with japanese romcoms I’d even give this a 7, however Roshidere is just a reskin of a reskin of a reskin. Shitty tropes? Check. Garbage side characters? Check. Unoriginal? Check!

All you need to know before you read this is that you’re not getting anything new, if you like the standard japanese romcom then go and read it, however if you’re looking for an actual good novel, get off this website.
I will admit the authors writing is pretty good, however the plot is just not noteworthy, characters are bland and uninteresting, I’d even rate ... Tenshi-sama higher than this.

There are many book series about people meeting from different cultures, and for good reason. People who grow up in different environments behave differently and have differing ideas of what's normal. Even in light novels, this idea is explored when people move from the countryside to the city, or even between schools. So you would think this series, with a main character who theoretically spent half her life abroad in Russia, would touch on those aspects as well. Alya should have different cultural attitudes and behaviors than a typical Japanese girl. Otherwise what's the point of her being Russian?

That's why I picked up this LN. ... But I was WRONG. The only Russian thing about Alya is her name and her looks. Everything else is a complete copy-paste from any other LN heroine. She overreacts to compliments, gets easily embarrassed from physical contact, and can't communicate.

The thing is, Russian culture is very different from Japanese culture. People are much more physical, with physical contact between people a part of everyday interactions. People are also less reserved and more outwardly affectionate, so giving compliments is customary and even expected. You might think that a girl raised in that kind of environment might absorb some of those norms.

It's just lazy writing. The author couldn't be bothered to do even the basics of research and make Alya a believable character. Instead, he chose to stick to the well-worn formula of dense MC and tsundere fMC, filled with cliched writing. Do you have your light novel bingo card out? Let's get started:

* fMC asks MC to touch her thinking he won't do it, he does it, she hits him
* "he called me c-c-cute"
* fMC has a tragic backstory that prevents her from making a single friend until she meets the MC
* fMC is constantly being asked out by nearly every guy in the school but turns them all down
* MC is lazy and unmotivated, isn't a member of any clubs, and has an inferiority complex but is secretly a great guy
* fMC fashion show
* fMC has a misunderstanding mistaking MC's sister for his girlfriend
* fMC and MC were friends when they were kids but conveniently forgot each other's names
* fMC is so beautiful everyone stares at her wherever she goes (which never happens to high school girls in real life, sorry to tell you)
* troubling incestuous overtones between the MC and his sister

BINGO! I'm sure if you told ChatGPT to write a story with these light novel elements and a Russian fMC it would spit out something quite a bit better.

Just as an example of a manga that thoughtfully addresses the meeting of cultures, there is "A Sign of Affection", about a half-German boy who loves to travel. Throughout the manga, the slight differences between his and the main character's norms are explored. It's not the only book to do this by any means, but such a contrast to the lazy writing here.